I’m running the family business for 10 days or so whilst the extended family are about to jet off to Spain. Since my working hours are earlier I am really glad I watched the 2013 movie Under the Skin with Scarlett Johansson during daylight hours.

This sci-fi horror movie is one of the most disconcerting ones I’ve seen in years. Whilst moving in a slightly unexpected direction later on, the “subverting expectations” trope is used well in the first half, inverting the idea that it is women who should be careful in public.

Scarlett Johansson really shows her acting chops. Her English accent is perfect. She herself drove a van on the left hand side of the road whilst she lured Scottish men in a manner that seemed natural. Indeed many of the people interacting with Johansson were random Scots who never recognised one of the most famous women in Hollywood – after all, I suspect it was filmed before Avengers came out. Furthermore the Scottish accents of the men are so strong I’d be surprised if non-Brits got by without subtitles. Although SJ gets fully nude, don’t expect titillation – the male nudity is more explicit and pretty terrifying – how did this only get a 15 certificate in the UK? OK we’re more lax than North America but there was a time I had to go to specialist stores near Leicester Square to get something showing THAT.

The movie is definitely polarising. It was a box office failure but critical success and I understand why. You’ll love it or hate it. If you’ve seen it I wondered what you thought? Later I’m going to attempt to watch something utterly bonkers to clear my mind and which is about to drop on streaming: Jupiter Ascending. After all, THAT is indeed a long way from Budapest.